Boat bits . . .

A couple more "boat bits," strange images but they make me happy in their simplicity.

The top picture is an intake tube of some sort I spotted on the ferryboat "Kennewick" as we left the dock, heading to Port Townsend. The creamy white color stood out well against the blue sky, and I liked the contrast between the curved pipe and the straight line at the bottom.

And then, someone's having a bad hair day! Found on a boat being being re-painted in the boat yard. Always fun to find these "faces in unlikely places."

More snow will be moving in Friday night. And then next week another storm will allegedly pass through. If so, we will have gotten more snow than people here have seen within the past 25 years. Oh, lucky us!

And we've bought our first snow shovel!

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your understanding and kindness.

A small Anacortes exploration . . .

I knew it was a long shot when I began, but I have discontinued my "Photo a Day" project. It's something that has served me well in the past, but it's not "sparking joy" for me right now, has become a small pressure, a responsibility, and is forcing me to spend even more time at the computer, which is not good.

And since I make art every day anyway, it's rather redundant. I don't need to post it all the time.

Big relief! And you know? It's kind of like the pressure I used to feel about reading books. If the book seemed to be going nowhere, and I wasn't enjoying it, I felt compelled to finish it, to honor my commitment to it. Those days are gone. Life is short and is getting shorter. Fill it with what you love, not what you feel you need to do, no matter what toll it may take on your mind and your body.

So these are some pictures I took in an Anacortes exploration the other day. Boats, boats, boats, silvery water, overcast skies, and I'm a happy photographer.

The fishing boat at the bottom is the F/V Oregon, out of Lopez Island, here in the San Juans. And above that is a view of what I believe is a fish processing plant. And the top photo? Pleasure boats moored at the Cap Sante Marina.

A good day. No pressure.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your understanding and kindness.

Week-end potpourri . . .

Sometimes we don't really know what we've accomplished until we take the time to look back. These are just a few images I've created this week, and it's gratifying to realize this is maybe just 20% of the total.

I often think I'm not working enough, not putting in enough effort, especially when I compare myself to what I perceive others doing.

Comparison. Big mistake, no?

Anyway, mucking around in my photo archives, I came across two pictures (a number "2" and some rust, both on an old train), shot in Eureka, California, and combined them for something new and different and unique. (If one can consider rust and old metal "new" and "different.")

In my Facebook "Photomotivation" group, we're working on images that relate to "summer." So when I found two "ice" signs on a pole this week, I automatically photographed them for our project. The beauty of giving yourself an assignment on a regular basis is that you become a better observer, a noticer, and your work and your portfolio improves and expands. Plus it's just fun.

In the studio, I made textured papers using acrylic paints and cardboard and stains, then combined my photos of them in Photoshop to make something completely different -- an interesting picture of texture in muted colors to upload to Fine Art America.

And finally, in the middle of a week full of birthdays, explorations, and meals with friends, a wander around the docks in Port Townsend brought me to this lovely wooden boat quietly moored in late afternoon light.

So it's been a week of friendships, meanderings, collage-making, and photography.

I should take time more often, really, to simply recap what I've done in a week. I may amaze myself. Try it yourself -- YOU may be amazingly surprised by how much wonderful stuff you create and experience and contribute. Let us all carry on!

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your understanding and kindness.

Random boat bits . . .

Nothing like meandering around fishing boats to find little vignettes, examples of the tools they use, the things they need, and how traditional a lot of the gear is.

By isolating small bits and pieces, I can create pictures that offer hints of what's on board, making the necessary gear just as important as the entire boat.

A simple photograph of a ladder and a lantern turns into a Mondrian-esque scene of clean rectangles and squares.

Lures hang from a rustic piece of wood aboard a commercial fishing boat.

I liked the monochromatic look of the strongly-defined lines and angles that frame the curvy-ness of a hook of some sort. An overcast day helped emphasize the silvery-blue-grey metal, lighting all the visual elements equally.

And finally, the bold red handles on the Crowley tugboat "Protector" tied to the dock. From a design standpoint, I found the horizontal line of half-letters up top, the red handles, and then the thick red pipe at the bottom -- all parallel to one another -- very appealing. It's an unusual composition, and I like it!

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your understanding and kindness.

Latest work: R/V Atlantis

The Research Vessel "Atlantis" docked in Astoria, Oregon. This U.S. Navy ship is operated by famed Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and travels worldwide. I feel lucky to have seen it during its brief visit in Northwest Oregon.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your understanding and kindness.

Things I love . . .

Wandering around Anacortes, Washington, I made two photographs that incorporate things I love:

Boats! As a Navy brat, things nautical have an appeal. I love being around boats, don't want to be ON boats (except for little harbor cruises), but I hyperventilate when I find things like this.

Diagonal lines. They imply movement and power. They lead your eye from one part of an image to another. Both these photos contain diagonal lines, and, in the top image, repeating diagonal lines.

Quick note: The second photograph is of a "pilot ladder" hanging off the side of a ship. They're built to strict specifications, and every four to eight steps there's a "spreader." Why? To keep the ladder from twisting around in wind and weather as the pilot makes his/her way up or down. Never knew that.

Numbers. Numbers have intrigued me since I first began in photography.

Abstract simplicity. I'm not especially a "big picture" sort of photographer, but rather a "move in close, see what others don't, and keep it simple" person. So, voila! Weird pictures.

And there you have it. Two souvenirs from a wonderful time spent just wandering around and looking.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

A couple of boats . . .

A couple of boats in the Nova Scotia fog. Lovely.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

Building boats

Yes, still building boats. There's a final project in mind, but I'm still not sure about it, so these little boat-lets keep me going on it.

Aren't they cute?

All together now: "Yes, Carol, very cute!"

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

Building boats

Yup, the daily collage boat project continues. It's fun, easy, photos taken with the iPhone, a little tweaking, and done!

I have so many now, but I know you don't want to see them all. So here are three for this week.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

Building boats

Because it's fun, pressure-free, and serves no purpose, I've been making boat collages every day for the past week.

I just pick out papers, cut some shapes, glue them into a sketch book, shoot them with a cellphone, use whatever app comes to mind, and voila! Here you have my current favorite three.

Why boats? I like boats. I'm a Navy brat. I hang around boatyards, harbors, and marinas photographing all shapes, sizes, and types.

But I do not want to be ON boats. (Unless it's a cruise ship and I'm being served a tropical drink.)

So I'm making imaginary boats with paper. Boats that are not to scale, nor built to sail.


And now I must heave-ho, for I and my matey Chris will be off in a few hours to celebrate 25 years of married life, plus an additional six without (gasp!) benefit of clergy. How he's put up with me for this long boggles my mind.

 ©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

Anacortes yesterday . . .

Anacortes (just north of Whidbey Island, over Deception Pass, then make a left) is becoming a go-to place for my kind of photography. There are boats, nets, fishermen, reflections, an historic district, and a place where they work on really big boats. Nothing like the number of cool old fishing boats, huge piles of nets, and the accessibility I had in Oregon (at least I've not discovered it yet), but it's still a fun place to poke around in.

Here are my two favorite shots from yesterday, especially the first one, which is the side of a big tanker. I had to shoot from a distance through a chain-link fence, so this was pretty much my only compositional option. But I love it! So clean and simple yet weird and strange. Because at first you don't know what it is, do you? Love when that happens.

And then, while walking among the older boats (versus all the spotless recreational boats that fill the marinas), I noticed these cool reflections in the water. Yum.

It was a good day yesterday. Felt terrific to be out and about in the sunshine and under blue skies.

Wishing us ALL a few days of blue skies and sunshine!

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!

Dockside . . .

Up at the docks in Anacortes with Chris and our friend, Craig C. . . .

The brightest red boat ever was reflecting in the water. The brilliant color caught my eye first, but then I also liked the contrasting row of black tires up above and how their shadows were red as well. Cool stuff!

A bluish-black anchor also grabbed my attention, looking rich and luscious with just a few bits of deep red and bright blue to highlight things here and there.

Another boat reflected its colors in the water. It helped that the sky was a clear blue to add to the mix.

And, finally, a turquoise-colored boat provided a vivid background for an even more vivid reddish-orange bumper.

Boats, nets, buoys, colors, blue skies, deep green trees and a cool breeze were just a small part of the equation. Being out shooting with someone who was equally enchanted by all this was a bonus.

Thanks, Craig, for being such a delightful house guest. Sorry about the smoke detector loudly beeping every 39.6 seconds this morning. I can't figure out how to turn it off!

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!

It's a good day to . . .

. . . think about boats! Hope your weekend is sunny with scattered breezes. ©Carol Leigh